Coin of Fate
by BurningTheMidnightOil
Summary: Anashra ran, her long white hair streaming behind her. They were coming, and they would catch her. Then she would die. Hiatus due to complete rewrite.


Author's Note:

Enjoy and PLEASE review it helps. Critics fuel the fire of creativity!

Prologue:

Nine months after the end of the Godswar...

Tymora tossed the coin of fate high into the air, "_Cloak_" said Beshaba. Tymora watched as the coin fell slowly to the floor and waited for it to show what the godchild's fate would be.

The coin clinked softly to the floor, rolled around in a lazy circle and stopped. Beshaba hissed, for the coin had balanced on its edge; Beshaba had lost and Beshaba did not like to lose. Tymora smiled and said,

"_The god-child Anashra shall make her own fate_."

* * *

Tythisia, Drow priestess and current favorite of Lloth was livid with fury; her newborn daughter had been stolen by a rival house. Stolen and sold to slavers, the indignity of it all made her burn with anger.

True, the child was only half Drow and looked like a surfacer; but the fact that she had been stolen made her look weak. Tythisia could not afford to look weak. To appear weak was to slit one's own throat.

Her enemies were already gathering to pounce upon her and her house like panther upon an injured rothe. However, she had surprises in store for the fools; they would see her strength and face her terrible wrath.

She called for her majordomo; "_Bring me the hands of the nursemaid, then take her down to the dungeon torture room she has failed me and she WILL pay._"

"_Then tell the slave master to whip all of the males that were on guard duty and all of the female slaves are to lose a finger._" The majordomo replied, "_It shall be as you wish my mistress_."

Then left with great haste lest he be the focus of her anger. Tythisia began to plot her revenge.

* * *

Dartan was uneasy and rightly so, no slaver ever dealt with Drow and let down their guard because to do so would be a lethal mistake. His contact from the Dragon's Horde was late.

This made Dartan even more uncomfortable as his contact had never been late before. Dartan stood in the cold dank cave and thought about leaving for Calimport, which was only a day's ride from here.

He thought better of it; one does not stand up a Drow unless one has a death wish. He heard a faint echo that began to get louder, and knew that they had finally come. The male leading they party was swearing profusely in the black tongue of the Drow. Sulosien stopped swearing and spoke to

Dartan,

"_We'd have been here sooner but the brat woke up and began to wail and gave way our location to some cursed deep gnomes_."

He held up a now sleeping baby elf. Dartan said, "_Your message was cryptic, how many this time?_" Sulosien replied, "_Eight in all and that's including the brat_."

Dartan grunted then spoke "_Well let's have a look at them shall we_?" Sulosien handed

Dartan the baby elf, who then removed the blanket she was wrapped in and began to examine her.

"_Hmm, winged elf child eh? I'll give you one thousand five hundred gold pieces for her and another Ten thousand for the rest of the lot._"

Sulosien scowled and accepted the gold, and promptly left. Dartan was glad to be on his way buying Drow slaves was profitable but dangerous.

He checked the chains on each of the slaves, then loaded them into the back of a wagon and started towards Calimport.

* * *

Lei'tai disliked cities they were not of nature. They were crowded, noisy and they usually smelled of sewage.

A wandering druid like him did not belong in such places, and yet it felt as if nature was telling him to enter Calimport. Lei'tai shook his head; he had to go anyway for he would need supplies if he were to continue his journey.

Of all the cities he been to he had a particular dislike of Calimport, it was a blight upon Toril in his opinion. The main reason he hated Calimport was that it participated in the slave trade, a practice that went against his personal beliefs and it was unnatural.

Nevertheless, into the city, he had to go, and there was not any point in putting it off; so he ended his complaints to himself and joined the throng of people milling about the city gate.

Ah, hells bells he thought after entering the city I have gone through the wrong gate, now he would have to take the long way around to the city bazaar. Lei'tai adjusted his pack, and then hefted his staff for better grip.

He would have to be cautious the thieves were thick as flies in this foul base of corruption called Calimport.

Lei'tai pointed ears twitched; a particularly dumb thief was casing him. He sighed and began to say a spell that would teach the fool a lesson, and give him quite a shock.

"_Sandaris!_"

Lei'tai heard a small yelp and grinned mischievously, he had just given the thief the lighting equivalent of the hot foot. It was an amusing way to let would be cutpurses know that he had caught them and that he wasn't to be trifled with.

After a while, he reached the bazaar and began to haggle for the supplies he needed. He purchased the last of his supplies and headed north for the city gates.

He swore softly as he realized that, there was a slave auction in progress, they had moved the location of the cursed auction since he had last been here over 10 years ago. He could hear the voice of the auctioneer calling out for bids on people as if they were cattle.

Bile rose to the back of his throat and he was forced to swallow. The wrongness of it all burned in his veins like a roaring fire. He gritted his teeth; he could not save them all from their fates.

The auctioneer began to call to the crowd, "_Esteemed ladies and gentlemen gather round we have here a great rarity for sale today; an Avariel child_."

Lei'tai swore loudly in Elvish "_Takasi_!" they had a winged baby elf for sale. This was the last straw. He shoved his way through the crowd and made his way over to where the head slave trader was standing.

"_You there, how much would it cost me to stop this spectacle, buy the Elf child and the rest of your lo_t?"

The trader looked at him skeptically and said, "_A great deal, I can make at least thirty thousand on the remainder of my lot alone_."

Lei'tai nodded and said, "_I can make it worth your while, Fifty thousand for the elf child and your remaining slaves_."

Suddenly the trader was all ears; little did he know he had been charmed.

Lei'tai had cast a charm spell to make the trader more amiable to his price. After haggling the price up to sixty thousand, they reached a satisfactory agreement. Lei'tai hated to purchase from these self-serving scumbags, the act of it made him feel dirty.

However, it was the only way to free them all without a fight. Lei'tai could have taken the slavers and all of their guards but that might have resulted in having the slaves being injured and he could not have that.

He had bought nine slaves including the elfin child. He was led to the owner's tent where he filled out the necessary documents to free the nine slaves he had purchased. The slavers brought in his slaves for Lei'tai to inspect.

Lei'tai waived them away saying, "_No need for that, there is no time for it I must be off_." As he approached the people, he had bought anger once again in his heart.

Underfed, filthy and several of them had been beaten. The slaves looked at him with fear and resentment. Lei'tai handed to elf child to an female Elven slave to hold.

The slavers escorted him and the slaves to the gate. When he was well outside the city, he turned to address them but was interrupted by the dwarf among the slaves.

"_I ain't about to stay a slave, especially to a pointy ear_!"

Lei'tai laughed he could not help it. Lei'tai said with a smile,

"_My good master dwarf, pointy my ears may be but you are no slave_." He received looks of disbelief from the dwarf and the rest of the slaves.

Lei'tai just grinned even bigger and produced the keys to their shackles, then tossed them to the stunned dwarf. Looks of amazement and joy passed around the former slaves faces.

"_You are all now free_." pronounced, Lei'tai. The dwarf now free of his chains stepped forward and declared, "_My name be Therin Skyhammer of the clan Blackhammer, and I shall forever be in your debt_."

* * *

Lei'tai and Therin had decided to travel together for the time being since they both headed north.

Lei'tai now headed north to Evereska his mother's people, he had decided to keep and raise the elf child as his own. As far as he knew the babe had no name, and it was up to him to give

her one. He thought for a while, and tried several names but none sounded right. Then suddenly it

came to him, her name would be Anashra; meaning "Child of Twilight". Little Anashra Thrade slept

on blissful and unaware that her fate was hers to make.

Two weeks had passed and the uneventful trek north was almost at an end. Therin would be leaving soon for Icewind Dale and the Spine of the World to search for his family and clan.

They had become great friends in the short amount of time they had traveled together and both were sad that it was time to part ways.

Therin's parting words were this, "_If you should ever need for anything, come find me and I shall give you aid._"

Lei'tai nodded, and said his farewells; and turned back on the road to Evereska.


End file.
